Xiaomi unveils a cheap, slim 4K TV with pro-grade panel

Chinese electronic giant Xiaomi outed a new version of its smart TV, alongside a water purifier, a new entry in its ever-increasing collection of connected home devices. China’s Xiaomi, the world’s third largest seller of smartphones valued over $45 billion, continued its push into the home with the two new products it unveiled on Thursday.

Xiaomi's new Mi TV 2S features a pro-level 4K panel at a dirt cheap price.

Chinese electronic giant Xiaomi outed a new version of its smart TV, alongside a water purifier, a new entry in its ever-increasing collection of connected home devices. China's Xiaomi, the world's third largest seller of smartphones valued over $45 billion, continued its push into the home with the two new products it unveiled on Thursday.

The Mi TV 2S is a 48-inch TV set that is just 9.9mm thin (almost as thin as the Mi4 Phone). It sports a 4K panel, a quad-core 1.4GHz processor powering the set and the usual array of HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, etc.

The display panel has been made by Samsung, but Xiaomi built its own LED backlight module. It claims that lets it display a full, uncompressed YUV 4:4:4 color gamut at 4K and 60fps, a trick that only professional grade displays can normally pull off.

Xiaomi has made a few significant changes with this refreshed model. Most notable is the addition of a subwoofer and a Dolby-powered soundbar. Design-wise, alongside the super thin format factor, customers can take their pick of five colored aluminum frames.

The Mi TV 2S is priced at RMB2999 (₹30,000), and there's a 'Theatre Edition,' which includes a sound system and comes in at RMB3999 (₹40,000). Beyond usual access to online services there's also Xiaomi's own content library, which the company is spending $1 billion to develop.

A new water purifier

The Mi Water Purifier costs RMB1299 (₹13,000) and will initially be available in China only. It sits on kitchen surfaces and turns tap water into drinking water. The device is branded as being smart because it is part of Xiaomi's Mi Home network, meaning that customers can check on its settings and recent activity, as well as get alerts when replacement filters are required.

Xiaomi, which also offers a blood pressure test unit, smart light bulbs, air purifier, $20 routers and other connected home devices, is building out its network to cover the home as well as mobile in China. For existing Xiaomi customers, the appeal is that these home appliances are appealing for the brand and work with their smartphone and other devices, increasing the company's hold over them — and potential sales — as they invest in its product ecosystem.